Blog

Today felt like winter. Snow was falling all afternoon and it just smelled cold outside. Daylight Savings has really made the evenings seem dark. It’s that time of year when 6pm rolls around and I feel like I should be in bed. I’ve been trying to get up early to walk the dog. It feels so good to start my day with fresh air and quiet, but getting myself out of bed when it’s cold and dark takes some serious effort. Doesn’t it just seem like we should all get extra sleep in the winter? Couldn’t we all shorten the work day during these months so everyone could sleep in and lay under their warm covers for awhile every day? Since this seems unlikely, I’m really trying to make healthy choices for myself. I know I need to be active, eat well, and get out and see friends even though my body keeps trying to convince me to stay home, eat chips, and watch the Netflix Hallmark-style Christmas movies every night. (Have you watched them? They’re so great.). In an effort to grow, I’ve been reading a lot about the Enneagram lately. Check it out if you’re not familiar. The Enneagram is a personality assessment that is highly research based, extremely thorough, and insightful. It’s not a “Which Disney Princess Are You” online quiz or anything like that. Many books have been written that give helpful insight into how to use your Enneagram results. So, anyway, I am a Type 9 on the Enneagram: “The Peacemaker.” As I read about Type 9, I’m learning ways to challenge myself to grow. One of the most helpful pieces is recognizing how I respond to conflict and how that is perceived by my husband, a Type 1. I know, it sounds a little cheesy when I talk about the numbers. But it is amazing how accurate and insightful this can be. Uncovering unseen things about yourself and the people you love is such a gift for those relationships. Nines are also prone to sloth. Which is probably why I have known for so long that I need to stay active and eat well to feel fully healthy. All people do, of course, but it seems to impact my whole self on a deeper level. So that is something I’m working through as winter approaches. Dog walks are a start. And eating well is huge. I don’t eat desserts very often. When I do make them, I prefer to make them Paleo. This cake is so delicious, no one would even notice it is grain free. It would probably be delicious with ice cream if you so desire.

Fall in Duluth is a magical time. Watching the woods slowly change from summer to winter is therapeutic. We drove along Lake Superior over the Bayfield, WI this past weekend. The drive there is one of my favorite parts of the trip. Our Bayfield routine always starts with a stop downtown for coffee. What used to be Big Water Coffee is now Kickapoo. The shop is bright, clean, and inviting. The coffee is awesome, third wave, makes you want to drink it all day kind of stuff. We brought it out to a pier and watched the ferry go by. I love looking at Lake Superior from a different angle. I feel so familiar with the Lake Superior of Duluth. Going elsewhere reminds me just how vast it really is.

We picnicked in an apple orchard, attempted to pick our own apples (they were mostly gone), and ended up buying a few bags to bring home. We also picked up some cider and hard cider from Bayfield Apple Company. Their’s is my absolute favorite hard cider. It’s so refreshing and not too sweet.

We journeyed back to Duluth in the afternoon, early enough to be home for dinner. On the way home I fantasized about how I should decorate our house for fall. I just want everything to look like the colorful forest and smell like apples now. And soup making is a must for our house to smell like fall.

I am a big fan of crockpot meals. Now that I am a full time working mama, crockpot meals help keep me sane. I made this recipe extremely easy. No sautéing anything before adding it, no additional steps or pans you need to make messy. This is a soup recipe for the busy mom (or dad) who wants a delicious, satisfying homemade meal with minimal work and very few dishes to clean up. That is a winning combo in my book.